Norway-based Yara sees fertile market in China

China's magnetic pull on foreign companies is undeniable, even when the financial benefits of doing business in the country are relatively modest.

Take Yara International ASA. The Norway-based company is the world's largest publicly traded producer of nitrogen fertilizer. Although it has been in China for 100 years, it generates just $750 million of its $15 billion in annual revenue from the nation.

Nonetheless, "China is an important market to us," said President and Chief Executive Officer Jorgen Ole Haslestad.